Elevator indicator



Oct. 18,

1 R. E. HAAS ELEVATOR INDICATOR Filed Nov. 11, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENT R A'IT RNEYS Oct. 18,1927. 1,645,949

R. E. HAAS I ELEVATOR INDICATOR 7 Filed NOV. 11, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS. v

Patented Oct. 18, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

nlcrmnn E. I-IAAS, or EAST ORANGE, NEWQJERSEY, .AssIonoR. o E nvA'roR sur- NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION or NEW PLIES COMPANY, Inc, on HOBOKEN,

JERSEY.

ELEVATOR INDICATOR.

Application filed November 11, 1925; Serial No. 68,330.

This invention relates to indicating deices for elevators whereby the position and direction of movement of an elevator is indicated on a suitable screen adjacent the entrance to the elevator on one or more of the floors.

One object of the invention is to provide elevator indicating mechanism in which the position of the elevator may beindi'cate'd in a novel manner by the illumination in succes'sion of light transmitting characters upon a screen.

Another object of the invention is to provide an indicator of this class which has no moving electrical apparatus or contacts and which accomplishes the indication by a disc moving in synchronism with the elevator interposed between a source of light and the Characters of a screen whereby these characters are successively illuminated according to the position of the elevator.

Other objects and advantages'of the invent-ion will appear as the description of the particular physical embodiment selected to illustrate the invention progresses, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings showing one form of my invention, 7 v

Figure 1 is an indicator constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is an elevation in section along the line 22 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a modification of the invention;

Figure 4 is a section Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a diagram showing one method by which my invention may be applied to elevators of the usual type.

In the operation of elevators, it is the common practice to provide illuminated indicators so that passengers desiring to use the elevators can tell at any time in what direct-ion they are moving and their location. Such indicators usually comprise a screen having a series of characters representing floor numbers thereon. The location of the car may be determined by means of lamps, one lamp being located behind each character, the lamps being successively enerlgized neron the line 44 of as the car moves in the hathway. k

gizing circuits for the lamps are closed and opened by means of brushes and commutators actuated under the control of the elevator. y

In thepresent invention; instead of pro- \lClll'lg a. series of successively illuminated lamps with corresponding circuit controlling devices, a single stationary lamp is provided which illuminates the interior of the indicator housing and this illumination is selectively controlled by a disc shutter rotated by the movement of the elevator. For this purpose, the disc has a single aperture or window which may in one form of the invention be in the nature of an illuminated travelling pointer or in another form, the aperture may be of the size of the index characters on the screen so that as the disc rotates these characters are progressively illuminated, one at a time, thereby indicating the position of the elevator and its direction of movement.

Figures 1 and 2 show one form in which a screen 11 is provided with characters 12, each character representing a floor or landing of a building. The characters may be either opaque andstencilled into the screen or transparent and made of inserts of glass.

The indicator comprises the housing 14 preferably built into the wall as indicated in Figure 2 and to the front of which the screen 11 is secured. The indicator is oper ated by the belt wheel 16 through the shaft 17 which is protected by a tubular housing 18. The latter is secured to the casing 1 1 through the nipple 19. Disc 20 is clamped on shaft 17 by the nut 21 and rotates with the shaft which is supported by means of a spider 12. This disc, which is provided with a window or aperture 23, rotates in the plane of and within the flat ring of the screen as indicated in Figure 1. The aperture 23 may be of any desired shape and may be preferably closed by means of a transparent glass insert 13. The interior of the housing 14 is illuminated by the source of light 24- which is fixed preferably near the center of the housing. The interior is preferably painted white to increase the effectiveness of the flood lighting so that the insert 13 will be sufliciently illuminated in any position. The disc 20 travelling in synchronism with the elevator is so arranged that the aperture 23 is adjacent the character representing the floor at which the car is located.

One way of connecting this indicator with an elevator is shown in the diagram in Figure 5. The elevator 31 travels up and down the hatch under the control of elevator mechanism comprising in part cable 33 and drum 32, the means for driving drum 32 not being shown in the illustration. The shaft of drum 32 carries a pulley 34: which drives pulley 36 at a reduced speed by means of belt 35. On the shaft 37 of pulley 36 is mounted the pulley 38 for the endless belt 39 extending throughout the elevator shaft. This belt passes over the belt wheels 16 of the indicators at fioors a, Z) and c as shown, being guided over pulleys 40 and 41 at each floor for this purpose. As the elevator moves up and down the shaft, the pulley 38 rotates causing the belt 39 to transmitto each of the indicator wheels 16 a corresponding rotation at the various floors served by the elevator thereby indicating the position and direction of movement of the elevator.

Figures 3 and 4 represent another form of the invention wherein the characters 12 on the opaque screen 11 are successively illumi nated in accordance with the movement of the car, the illuminated character representing the cars location. Characters 12 are transparent and may be stencilled on inserts of glass. he disc 20 is arranged to berotated with shaft 17 behind screen 11. An annular angle 22 is mounted on the inner cylinder wall of housing lt close behind disc 20.. Light from source 24. can then reach screen 11 only through aperture 23. J The latter, being of the size ot the glass inserts l2, progressively illuminates the characters one at a time as the disc rotates in synchronism with the travel of the elevator.

It will be observed that this indicator is of a very simple construction providing an illuminated indication from a single source of light without the use of moving contacts.

lVhile there has been herein shown and described specific constructions, it is to be understood that they are for illustration only, the invention being broadly defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An elevator indicator having in combination a screen provided with a series of: characters corresponding to the several floors, a source or" light located back of said screen, a movable shutter interposed between said source or" light and said screen and having a cutaway portion through which the light may be projected to indicate the characters on said screen, and means for moving said shutter in synchronism with the elevator to illuminate the characters in succession to indicate the position and direction of movement of the elevator.

2. An elevator indicator having in com bination a screen provided with a series of light transmitting portions having char acters corresponding to the several floors, a source of light located back of said screen. a shutterinterposed between said source oi light and said screen and having a cutaway portion through which the light may be projected on the screen at the points where said characters are located, means for moving the shutter in synchronism with the elevator to illuminate the numbers in succession to indicate the position and direction of movement of the elevator, said shutter being spaced from the screen to cause a gradual increase and fading away of the illumination of each character as thecar approaches the corresponding floor and moves away from said floor.

Signed at Hoboken, N. J., this 6th November, 1925.

RICHARD E. HAAS.

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